Mar. 10, 2014
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Phil Jackson could save the Knicks. / Jim O'Connor, USA TODAY Sports

by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

by Sam Amick, USA TODAY Sports

In honor of Phil Jackson's last known public appearance, at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference in Boston, we introduce a slice of advanced statistics to this discussion about whether the 11-time champion coach would be a good front-office hire for the New York Knicks.

Playoff wins: 229, good for first all-time in NBA history and well ahead of former Miami Heat coach Pat Riley in second place (171).

Playoff winning percentage: 68.8%, first all-time in NBA history and well ahead of the next coach to manage at least 100 games, Billy Cunningham (62.9%).

OK, so there's nothing advanced about those Hall of Fame credentials. What's more, there's nothing overly complicated about the answer to this question, either.

For all the obvious reasons, Jackson would be a tremendous hire for the flailing Knicks.

When it comes to the Mount Rushmore of NBA winners, Jackson deserves a spot on the mountain just as much as his prized pupil, Michael Jordan. And as we saw with the way Riley so masterfully orchestrated the Heat's summer of 2010 that has since led to two championships, that sort of clout and credibility can go a long ways when it comes to convincing players to take part in your program.

This isn't just about Carmelo Anthony and whether Jackson could get him to re-sign in New York this summer. This is about the summer of 2015, whencoveted star Kevin Love is likely to be a free agent and would no doubt take notice if the Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls coaching legend were part of the Knicks' proposal. This is about recruiting and rectifying and rebuilding the Knicks in ways that require this sort of moxie move.

It's true that the Knicks have self-inflicted wounds to heal going forward - major challenges like the lack of a first round draft pick until 2018, another likely coaching change and such. It's equally true that Jackson would have a learning curve to navigate as an executive, though Riley's partnership with Heat assistant general manager Andy Elisburg is evidence enough that a brilliant basketball mind can shore up any weaknesses with the help of talented executives around him.

But the payroll starting two summers from now is the NBA version of a blank canvas (only $12.6 million committed salary at present with a salary cap of $58.6 million and a luxury tax threshold of $71.7 million), and the chance for impact players to flock to New York and follow Phil's lead would help immensely so long as he can avoid all the infamous pitfalls that always come with working for owner James Dolan.

In a recent interview with USA TODAY Sports, Jackson alluded to these sorts of opportunities when he said, "There are winners and losers in the NBA, and a lot of people are trying to reclaim their position or change their culture." If he was talking about Dolan's Knicks, he was being overly generous.

The time has come for Dolan to realize that, beyond the built-in edge that comes with boasting such a great city, the Knicks' storied history is of little relevance in today's NBA in which the latest collective bargaining agreement has helped bridge the once-monumental gap between small and large markets. They haven't won a championship since 1973, have reached the second round of the playoffs just once in the last 13 seasons, are a monumental disappointment in this 2013-14 campaign. They are desperately need someone of Jackson's ilk to play the part of defibrillator to their flat-lined existence.

He will surely come at a steep price, but this investment â?? contrary to most others Dolan has made of late â?? would be well worth it. And if Dolan is going to do it, he may as well seal the deal now rather than waiting for someone like the Lakers or Detroit Pistons to finish what they started by bringing him into their respective folds.

If widely respected Los Angeles Clippers coach/front-office executive Doc Rivers and widely reviled Clippers owner Donald Sterling can make it work like they have, then why can't Jackson and Dolan? So long as the overbearing owner stayed out of the way, it would be a match made in Knicks fan Heaven.